and it's a war that we're truly losing.

所以…我們現在正處於真實的戰爭中，

It's a war on superbugs.

且我們真的在節節敗退。

So you might wonder,

這是場與超級病菌之戰。

if I'm going to talk about superbugs,

你們可能會納悶，

why I'm showing you a photograph of some soccer fans --

如果我要來談超級病菌，

Liverpool soccer fans celebrating a famous victory

為什麼我給各位看的是 一些足球迷的照片？

in Istanbul, a decade ago.

這些是利物浦的足球迷， 正在慶祝一場著名的勝仗，

In the back, in the red shirt,

十年前在伊斯坦堡的勝仗。

well, that's me,

在後排，穿著紅色上衣的，

and next to me in the red hat, that's my friend Paul Rice.

就是我。

So a couple of years after this picture was taken,

我旁邊戴紅帽子的那位， 是我的朋友保羅萊斯。

Paul went into hospital for some minor surgery,

這張照片拍攝後幾年，

and he developed a superbug-related infection,

保羅去醫院做小手術時，

and he died.

受到超級病菌的感染，

And I was truly shocked.

然後過世了。

He was a healthy guy in the prime of life.

我非常震驚。

So there and then,

他是個很健康的人，正值壯年。

and actually with a lot of encouragement from a couple of TEDsters,

在那時，

I declared my own personal war on superbugs.

由於幾位 TED 的人給我許多鼓勵，

So let's talk about superbugs for a moment.

我個人向超級病菌宣戰。

The story actually starts in the 1940s

我們先來談一下超級病菌。

with the widespread introduction of antibiotics.

故事開始於 1940 年代，

And since then,

當時抗生素被廣泛推廣。

drug-resistant bacteria have continued to emerge,

從那之後，

and so we've been forced to develop newer and newer drugs

抗藥物的細菌就持續出現，

to fight these new bacteria.

我們就不得不一直開發更新的藥物

And this vicious cycle actually is the origin of superbugs,

來對抗新的細菌。

which is simply bacteria for which we don't have effective drugs.

這個惡性循環正是超級病菌的起源，

I'm sure you'll recognize at least some of these superbugs.

超級病菌就是我們沒有任何 有效藥物可以對抗的細菌。

These are the more common ones around today.

我相信你們應該認識 其中幾種超級病菌。

Last year, around 700,000 people died

這些是現今比較常見的超級病菌。

from superbug-related diseases.

去年，大約有七十萬人

Looking to the future,

死於超級病菌相關的疾病。

if we carry on on the path we're going,

展望未來，

which is basically a drugs-based approach to the problem,

如果我們繼續在現行的路線上前進，

the best estimate by the middle of this century

基本上就是採取以藥物 為基礎的方法來解決問題，

is that the worldwide death toll from superbugs will be 10 million.

到這個世紀中期，最合理預估，

10 million.

全世界會有一千萬人 因為感染超級病菌而死亡，

Just to put that in context, that's actually more

一千萬人。

than the number of people that died of cancer worldwide last year.

以比喻來說，這個數字

So it seems pretty clear that we're not on a good road,

比去年全世界死於癌症的人數還多。

and the drugs-based approach to this problem is not working.

所以顯然我們的現行路線 不是很理想。

I'm a physicist,

以藥物為基礎的方法 來解決這個問題是行不通的。

and so I wondered, could we take a physics-based approach --

我是物理學家，

a different approach to this problem.

所以我就想，我們是否 可以用以物理為基礎的方法，

And in that context,

用一個不同的方法來解決此問題。

the first thing we know for sure,

在那個情況下，

is that we actually know how to kill every kind of microbe,

我們能確定的第一件事，

every kind of virus,

就是我們確實知道如何 殺死每一種微生物，

every kind of bacteria.

每一種病毒，

And that's with ultraviolet light.

每一種細菌。

We've actually known this for more than 100 years.

做法就是用紫外線。

I think you all know what ultraviolet light is.

我們早在一百年前就知道這件事了。

It's part of a spectrum that includes infrared,

我想，你們都知道紫外線是什麼。

it includes visible light,

它是光譜的一部份， 光譜上包括了紅外線，

and the short-wavelength part of this group is ultraviolet light.

它包括了可見光，

The key thing from our perspective here

其中短波長的部份就是紫外線。

is that ultraviolet light kills bacteria by a completely different mechanism

我們想法的關鍵是

from the way drugs kill bacteria.

紫外線殺死細菌的機制

So ultraviolet light is just as capable of killing a drug-resistant bacteria

完全不同於藥物殺死細菌的方法。

as any other bacteria,

紫外線能夠殺死 那些能抵抗藥物的細菌，

and because ultraviolet light is so good at killing all bugs,

就像殺死其他細菌一樣。

it's actually used a lot these days to sterilize rooms,

因為紫外線非常擅長 殺死所有的細菌，

sterilize working surfaces.

其實近期它常常被用來消毒房間、

What you see here is a surgical theater

消毒工作表面。

being sterilized with germicidal ultraviolet light.

各位現在看到的是一間手術室，

But what you don't see in this picture, actually,

正在用殺菌紫外線進行消毒。

is any people,

在照片上看不到的一樣東西，

and there's a very good reason for that.

就是人。

Ultraviolet light is actually a health hazard,

這背後有個很好的理由。

so it can damage cells in our skin,

紫外線對人體的健康有害，

cause skin cancer,

它可能會傷害我們的皮膚細胞，

it can damage cells in our eye,

造成皮膚癌，

cause eye diseases like cataract.

它可能會傷害我們的眼睛細胞，

So you can't use conventional, germicidal, ultraviolet light

造成眼睛疾病，如白內障。

when there are people are around.

所以，你不能把常見的殺菌紫外線

And of course,

用在有人的地方。

we want to sterilize mostly when there are people around.

然而，

So the ideal ultraviolet light

我們就是想要對人來做殺菌。

would actually be able to kill all bacteria,

所以，理想的紫外線

including superbugs,

要能夠殺死所有細菌，

but would be safe for human exposure.

包括超級病菌，

And actually that's where my physics background kicked into this story.

但在人類被照射到時，也要是安全的。

Together with my physics colleagues,

那就是我的物理背景 進入這個故事的地方了。

we realized there actually is a particular wavelength of ultraviolet light

我和我的物理同事合作，

that should kill all bacteria,

我們發現，紫外線有一個特定的波長

but should be safe for human exposure.

應該能夠殺死所有細菌，

That wavelength is called far-UVC light,

而且照射到人類也是安全的。

and it's just the short-wavelength part of the ultraviolet spectrum.

那波長被稱為「遠紫外線」，

So let's see how that would work.

它只是紫外線光譜上的短波部份。

What you're seeing here is the surface of our skin,

我們來看看它是怎麼運作的。

and I'm going to superimpose on that some bacteria in the air above the skin.

各位在這裡看到的是皮膚的表面，

Now we're going to see what happens

我要在皮膚上面的空氣中 加上一些的細菌。

when conventional, germicidal, ultraviolet light impinges on this.

現在我們來看看

So what you see is,

用常見的殺菌紫外線 在上面照射後會發生什麼事。

as we know, germicidal light is really good at killing bacteria,

你們現在看到的是，

but what you also see

如我們所知，殺菌紫外線 真的很擅長殺死細菌，

is that it penetrates into the upper layers of our skin,

但你們也看到，

and it can damage those key cells in our skin

它穿透過皮膚的上面幾層，

which ultimately, when damaged, can lead to skin cancer.

它可能會傷害皮膚的重要細胞。

So let's compare now with far-UVC light --

當這些細胞受損， 最終可能就會導致皮膚癌。

same situation,

現在來和遠紫外線做個比較－－

skin and some bacteria in the air above them.

在同樣的情況下，

So what you're seeing now

皮膚上的空氣中有一些細菌。

is that again, far-UVC light's perfectly fine at killing bacteria,

現在各位看到的，

but what far-UVC light can't do is penetrate into our skin.

是遠紫外線也可以很完美地殺死細菌，

And there's a good, solid physics reason for that:

但遠紫外線卻不會穿透我們的皮膚。

far-UVC light is incredibly, strongly absorbed by all biological materials,

這個現象的背後有個很好 而且很可靠的物理理由：

so it simply can't go very far.

遠紫外線能被所有的生物材料 以不可思議的程度強力吸收，

Now, viruses and bacteria are really, really, really small,

所以它就是走不遠。

so the far-UVC light can certainly penetrate them and kill them,

病毒和細菌都極其微小，

but what it can't do is penetrate into skin,

所以遠紫外線肯定 可以穿透並殺死它們。

and it can't even penetrate the dead-cell area

但它無法做到的，就是穿透皮膚，

right at the very surface of our skin.

它甚至無法穿透我們皮膚 表面的死細胞區域。

So far-UVC light should be able to kill bacteria,

所以遠紫外線應該可以殺死細菌，

but kill them safely.

而且對人體是安全的。

So that's the theory.

所以理論是這樣，

It should work, should be safe.

它應該有用，應該安全。

What about in practice?

那麼在實際運作時呢？

Does it really work?

它真的有用嗎？

Is it really safe?

它真的安全嗎？

So that's actually what our lab has been working on

那正是過去五到六年間， 我們的實驗室在努力的，

the past five or six years,

我很高興地告訴各位， 這兩個問題的答案，

and I'm delighted to say the answer to both these questions

是很肯定的「是的」。

is an emphatic yes.

是的，它的確有用，

Yes, it does work,

是的，它是安全的。

but yes, it is safe.

我很高興能那麼說，

So I'm delighted to say that,

但其實這結果並不會讓我訝異，

but actually I'm not very surprised to say that,

因為那很單純就是物理原理。

because it's purely the laws of physics at work.

咱們來看看未來。

So let's look to the future.

我們現在有了全新的武器， 我感到很興奮，

I'm thrilled that we now have a completely new weapon,

我應該說是不貴的武器，

and I should say an inexpensive weapon,

能用來對抗超級病菌。

in our fight against superbugs.

比如，

For example,

我可在手術室看到遠紫外線。

I see far-UVC lights in surgical theaters.

在製作食物的區域看到遠紫外線。

I see far-UVC lights in food preparation areas.

在預防病毒散播方面，

And in terms of preventing the spread of viruses,

我可在學校看到遠紫外線，

I see far-UVC lights in schools,

預防感冒傳播，

preventing the spread of influenza,

預防麻疹散佈，

preventing the spread of measles,

我在機場或飛機上看到遠紫外線，

and I see far-UVC lights in airports or airplanes,

預防像 H1N1 這類病毒在全球散佈。

preventing the global spread of viruses like H1N1 virus.

回到我的朋友保羅萊斯。

So back to my friend Paul Rice.

在我們的家鄉利物浦，

He was actually a well-known and well-loved local politician

他其實是位知名 且受愛戴的當地政治家，

in his and my hometown of Liverpool,

他們在利物浦的中心 為他立了一座紀念雕像，

and they put up a statue in his memory in the center of Liverpool,

就這個。

and there it is.

但是我，

But me,

我希望保羅留給世人的是 在超級病菌之戰中的重大進展。

I want Paul's legacy to be a major advance in this war against superbugs.

有了遠紫外線為武器，

Armed with the power of light,

勝利已經不遠了。

that's actually within our grasp.

謝謝。

Thank you.

（掌聲）

(Applause)

克里斯安德森：請留步，大衛， 我有個問題想請教。

Chris Anderson: Stay up here, David, I've got a question for you.

（掌聲）

(Applause)

大衛，請告訴我們， 你們開發這個的目的是什麼？

David, tell us where you're up to in developing this,

若要實現這個夢想，

and what are the remaining obstacles to trying to roll out

還有什麼其他障礙待突破？

and realize this dream?

大衛布倫納：我想， 我們現在知道它能殺死所有細菌，

David Brenner: Well, I think we now know that it kills all bacteria,

但在我們開始之前就知道這點了，

but we sort of knew that before we started,

但我們對它做了測試。

but we certainly tested that.

所以，我們得要做很多 安全相關的測試，

So we have to do lots and lots of tests about safety,

重點比較是在安全而非效能。

and so it's more about safety than it is about efficacy.

我們需要做短期測試，

And we need to do short-term tests,

我們需要做長期測試，

and we need to do long-term tests

以確保使用者不會因此 在多年之後得到黑色素瘤。

to make sure you can't develop melanoma many years on.

所以，目前那些研究都做得很好。

So those studies are pretty well done at this point.

當然，我們必須得到 食品及藥物管理局批准，

The FDA of course is something we have to deal with,

這是理所當然的，

and rightly so,

因為如果要實際廣泛運用， 就一定要先有食品及藥物管理局的核准。

because we certainly can't use this in the real world without FDA approval.

克里斯：你打算先在美國推出，

CA: Are you trying to launch first in the US,

或其他地方？

or somewhere else?

大衛：事實上，會在兩個國家。

DB: Actually, in a couple of countries.

在日本和美國。

In Japan and in the US, both.

克里斯：你是否已經 說服了生物學家及醫生，

CA: Have you been able to persuade biologists, doctors,

讓他們相信這是安全的方法？

that this is a safe approach?

大衛：你可以想像， 一定有人會抱持懷疑態度，

DB: Well, as you can imagine, there is a certain skepticism

因為每個人都知道紫外線不安全。

because everybody knows that UV light is not safe.

所以當有個人說：

So when somebody comes along and says,

「這種特定的紫外線是安全的。」

"Well, this particular UV light is safe,"

就會有障礙需要跨越，

there is a barrier to be crossed,

但我們已經有數據資料了，

but the data are there,

那些資料會是我們的基礎。

and I think that's what we're going to be standing on.

克里斯：祝你順利。

CA: Well, we wish you well.

這是可能是相當重要的研究。

This is potentially such important work.

非常謝謝和我們分享。

Thank you so much for sharing this with us.

謝謝，大衛。

Thank you, David.

（掌聲）

(Applause)